Outbreak
by ODST 357
Summary: A quick story about the beginning of the Arklay incident. Not entirely canon on a few details, but hey, I wrote it in an hour, so yeah.


Dr. Hunter yawned, and reached for his long stale cup of coffee. He had been wading through the lab reports spread all over his desk since four in the afternoon, over twelve hours ago. His aides had all gone home, leaving him alone in his lab in the Hive, the massive underground complex run by Umbrella Corp. He only had one more folder to go through, and then he could go home too…

"Heya doc, what's up?"

Hunter jumped, nearly falling out of his seat. The security guard, Jimmy, was waving to him through the tempered glass of his laboratory. Dressed in impeccably fitting black fatigues with matching combat boots and carrying a holstered pistol, Jimmy was one of the many security guards Umbrella employed to protect the Hive. The young man had an insatiable interest in science, and tended to hang around Hunter's lab when he didn't have anything specific to do; mainly because Hunter was the only one who tolerated him, and, though he would never admit it to his academic colleagues, Hunter actually enjoyed having him around.

"Oh…hey Jimmy. Nothing much, just going through some lab reports." His interest piqued, Jimmy ran his keycard through the doors to Hunter's lab and walked over the desk where the frazzled scientist sat. Reading over the old man's shoulder, he said,

"T-Virus? What's that?"

Hunter sighed, pressing his forehead into his palms.

"I can't tell you Jimmy, it's…classified. Strictly need-to-know." Expecting the young man to cry foul, he was pleasantly surprised when Jimmy instead said,

"Ohh…okay. No problem doc." He walked over to a table scattered with ampoules, beakers and test tubes, picking them up and admiring the things they contained. Hunter turned around, irritation plainly visible on his face, and quickly said,

"Jimmy, what have I told you about proper laboratory safety procedures? If you insist on touching things, please wear gloves at least. Some of these things can melt your hand right off, or worse."

"I thought you said you didn't mind when I looked at all this cool stuff."

Hunter sighed dramatically, and said,

"I don't mind, not in the least. I would never cut off an eager young mind from a source of learning, however basic it may be. Be that as it may, I feel a certain sense of responsibility for your safety and well-being, and therefore ask that you wear these," he held up a pair of laboratory gloves, "When you look. That's all."

"All right, thanks doc." Jimmy said, grabbing the gloves and slipping them on. He then returned to studying the bottles and dishes on the table. Hunter sat back down and continued with the reports he was reading, until a loud crash caused his head to jolt up.

All of the labs in the hide were large rooms, separated by clear walls. The ones that handled the more dangerous chemicals were obviously airtight, but others, like Hunters, were merely equipped with a good set of air scrubbers; hardly enough to contain a viral outbreak, but enough to maintain a sterile lab environment. Hunter looked around at the other labs, trying to figure out what had broken.

"I bet it's that idiot Parsons, he's always breaking things." He muttered. Then, as he turned his head in the direction of the T-Virus labs, his heart skipped a beat. One of the viral containment racks had fallen through the wall, breaking the airtight seal and releasing hundreds of vials worth of T-Virus into the Hive itself. Hunter could see the green gas floating along the hallways, and he heard the outbreak alarms begin to blare. He ran to a cabinet on the wall of his lab, knowing he had but a minute before the virus reached his corner of the floor. Hefting a Bunsen burner, he smashed a large box labeled _Break in Case of Containment Breach_, and grabbed the mask and airtank inside. He was about to put it on when he remembered Jimmy, standing near the door, unsure of what was going on. Paralyzed by indecision for but a moment, Hunter tossed Jimmy the breathing gear and yelled,

"Get out of here!"

No sooner had Jimmy secured the mask and left, than the virus started seeping in through the air scrubbers. He could already feel the effects of it…there was very little time. Reaching into the shattered cabinet, he scrabbled around for the other item in there. As the virus began pouring into the room in earnest, Hunter's fingers closed around the cool steel handle of a nine-millimeter automatic. He grabbed the gun, flicking the safety off and sticking it in his mouth in one smooth motion. Amidst all the chaos that was ensuing, all the people dying and all the lab equipment that was being destroyed, no one noticed one more bang.


End file.
